Press Release Article

PORT AUTHORITY REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO STEWART INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF TAKEOVER

Date: Oct 31, 2008Press Release Number: 125-2008

Celebrating its first year in control of Stewart International Airport, the Port Authority today reaffirmed its key goal of expanding the facility to help meet the region’s growing aviation and economic needs by announcing a long-term commitment.

Chris Ward, the bistate agency’s executive director, addressed the Orange County Chamber of Commerce about the agency’s short-, medium- and long-term plans at a morning gathering to mark the anniversary.

“We need to imagine what we want Stewart to be 30 years from now and how it will serve as an engine of jobs and economic growth in the Hudson Valley,’’ Ward told the group.

“The development plan will take advantage of Stewart’s unique size and location while taking into account the sensitive community and environmental concerns of the surrounding area,’’ he added.

Ward discussed the agency’s intention to develop a plan that will help provide jobs, encourage tourism and spur growth at the airport and regionally.

Ward explained short-term plans include programs to preserve and develop demand for flights at Stewart, while maintaining and enhancing facilities.

For the midterm, the agency’s goals include working with a recently hired consulting firm, TranSystems of Alexandria, Va., to create incentives for attracting new carriers.

Over the long-term, the agency reaffirmed its commitment to a 10-year, $500 million capital program to upgrade Stewart, and plans to find ways to increase customer access to the airport.

The executive director brought some immediate good news: US Airways is adding a fourth daily flight at Stewart beginning this Sunday. Additionally, he noted Stewart would average 10 flights per day, serving four destinations, while JetBlue has resumed flying larger planes there. In its first year at the helm of Stewart, the Port Authority already has spent $25 million to upgrade the airport, more than twice the level of the previous operator in the prior seven years.

Overall, the Port Authority views Stewart Airport as part of its solution to help alleviate flight delays at the metropolitan area’s three major airports.

Additionally, since taking over a year ago, the Port Authority has added seating in the terminal, more than 400 parking spaces and improved roadway access to the facility. The agency also has created a local Citizens Advisory Panel to seek and provide feedback on the airport’s role in the community and region.

Contact: The Port Authority of New York & New JerseyRon Marsico, 212 435-7777

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates many of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. They include John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia, Stewart International and Teterboro airports; AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark; the George Washington Bridge and Bus Station; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid-transit system; the Port Authority-Downtown Manhattan Heliport; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan.

The Port Authority is financially self-supporting and receives no tax revenue from either state.